Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just a computer science topic; it’s fast becoming a fundamental part of how students learn, research and create. As educators, our job is to prepare students for a world where AI literacy is essential for adapting to the demands of a changing world.
AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot have become the invisible architects of our decision-making. While we don’t teach students how the technology works behind the scenes, we can prepare learners to use AI responsibly for informed decision-making in an AI-driven world. AI is now a part of everyday life, but a critical gap has emerged. Students and educators interact with AI constantly, but many don’t fully understand its capabilities, limitations and influence on learning.
This knowledge gap presents a challenge. How do we teach AI competency while adapting to its growing role in education? As these systems become more sophisticated, how can we equip ourselves and our students to engage with AI thoughtfully and responsibly?
The answer lies in developing AI literacy, a skill set that is becoming as essential as basic reading and writing in the digital age. In this post, we’ll discuss AI literacy, its significance in education and some practical teaching strategies for incorporating AI awareness in the classroom.
The building blocks of AI literacy in education
For educators, developing AI competency involves two parallel paths. The first is understanding AI’s impact on teaching and how we need to adapt our educational approach. The second is providing practical tools to prepare students for an AI-integrated future. As digital literacy transformed education in the early 2000s, AI is reshaping our approach to teaching and learning today.
To help educators develop an effective teaching strategy, we’ll now share a breakdown of how to create a framework for teaching AI competency.
How to build an AI literacy framework for educators
To build an effective literacy framework, there are three elements that we need to consider. These include technical aspects, integrating AI into teaching and preparing students to use AI practically.
1. Technical aspects
A technical understanding of AI is essential for using this technology effectively. Important considerations include the following:
- Students should understand fundamental concepts and terminology, for example, machine learning, algorithms and bias
- Educators should focus on teaching the practical application of grading tools and research assistants
- It’s also vital for students to get to grips with the limitations of AI systems and how they can “hallucinate”.
2. Integrating AI into learning
To integrate AI into teaching methods, we should focus on the following aspects:
- Building ways to enhance our existing teaching methods using AI, while developing students’ critical thinking skills
- Developing creative ways to assess students in an AI-driven world
- Educating and empowering students with foundational skills in academic honesty and detecting bias.
3. Practical preparation for using AI
With a foundational understanding of the technology and through integrated learning, students can then learn how to use AI practically, which involves the following:
- Learning to think critically about AI-generated content and not taking anything it says at face value! Essential skills to develop include fact-checking and using reputable information sources
- Developing ways to use AI responsibly and ethically, and avoiding overreliance on technology to do all the work
- Building awareness of becoming a responsible digital citizen through safe and ethical AI use.
How do we make learning about AI fun and accessible?
We’ve established that learning about AI is vital, but how do we engage students and teach them how to think for themselves? Below are some considerations for making learning about these tools more accessible:
Critical engagement with AI
When using AI writing assistants or research tools, students must understand that they learn from patterns and don’t always understand context. Therefore, it’s essential to encourage mindful usage.
Here are some ideas for facilitating critical engagement:
- Engaging with AI tools using hands-on activities
- Comparing AI-generated and human-generated content and learning about the differences
- Discussions about how AI curates information and learning to identify reliable sources
- Facilitating projects that teach students how to use AI tools in a thoughtful way
Understanding ethics and how it relates to AI
AI is a valuable tool, but it isn’t always right. Plagiarism is also a key consideration. If we don’t teach students how to use AI properly, they can overlook biases and accept automated decisions without questioning them. To promote ethical AI use, educators should focus on:
- Establishing clear guidelines for how to use AI, and what is and isn’t ethical (or allowed)
- Teaching students how to cite AI sources, and to find reliable sources of information to cite in the first place
- Discussing how to use AI ethically in practice, which includes identifying bias and using balanced information sources.
Additional strategies for teaching AI literacy
We’ve covered some ways that educators can instil a fundamental understanding of AI and an awareness of how to use it responsibly. The next step is to incorporate a strategic approach when teaching AI.
To share some additional examples for how to teach AI literacy, below are some structured ideas for teaching AI competency that combine theory with practical hands-on experience:
1. Integrated learning activities
- Practical lessons in how to evaluate AI tools
- Facilitating collaborative AI projects with students that help them learn together
- Conducting workshops that teach students critical thinking skills, which include how to analyse AI content
- Regularly discussing real-life AI use cases and scenarios to help practice ethical decision-making.
2. How to assess students
To practically assess students in this form of literacy, here are some ideas:
- Students can engage in project-based learning, which includes using AI in the real world. After completing these projects, they can put together student portfolios for evaluation
- Peer-reviewed assignments can empower students to exercise critical thinking skills
- Students can evolve and grow their critical thinking capacity by engaging in regular reflective exercises and assignments.
3. Ongoing development for educators
To make sure that educators can teach effectively, they should also focus on sharpening their AI skills, which include the following:
- Participating in AI courses and technology workshops for educators
- Sharing information in community forums and engaging with other educators to enhance learning strategies
- Making an effort to stay up to date with current trends, research and effective teaching practices.
Making AI a part of everyday learning
We’ve shared many practical tools and considerations for teaching AI literacy. However, it is also essential to create an overall awareness of technology in everyday learning.
To help create an AI-aware space, here are some ideas for integrating this type of education into daily activities at all levels:
Elementary educators:
- Play fun and engaging games that introduce fundamental AI concepts
- Use simple coding activities to introduce AI, which can help build other technological skills
- Talking about AI’s use in daily life can help students learn how integral technology is in our society.
Secondary educators:
- Facilitating cross-disciplinary AI projects can help students develop multiple skills
- Students can learn to identify bias and work with technology’s limitations by critically analysing AI-generated content
- Debating the ethics of AI use can empower students to make more effective and responsible choices when using technology
- Through using multiple AI tools, students can build valuable technical skills.
Higher education:
- Advanced AI literacy is essential at a higher educational level to prepare students for further education and the workplace.
- Learning about research methodology in the AI era will empower students to source information responsibly and effectively.
- By getting hands-on experience with industry-specific AI applications, students can start to investigate what kinds of careers they might want to pursue
- Ethics and how it informs AI policy are other important topics to discuss with high school students, as understanding the connection between the two will empower them to make responsible decisions.
How do you measure AI literacy success?
We’ve covered many different areas when it comes to teaching AI literacy. However, tracking progress is essential for consistently improving how we teach this subject. Here are some ideas for how to measure the success of your AI teaching strategy:
- By getting students to do self-assessments, we can ensure that they are constantly reflecting on what they have learnt, and what they would still like to/need to learn
- Educators can set up regular project evaluations to help teach students how to engage with AI
- By establishing competency frameworks that emphasise key learning outcomes, we can ensure that students are learning the right skills.
- Getting feedback and implementing it into teaching is essential to update our teaching approach consistently.
Ensuring AI literacy in practice
AI will evolve consistently in the years ahead. Therefore, as educators, we play a crucial role in developing a lifelong approach to AI competency. Our goal is not only to teach students how the technology works, but also to prepare them for a future where understanding AI will ensure their success.
In other words, as educators, we must prepare ourselves and our students for an AI-integrated world. While it’s essential to focus on your own teaching strategy and continually enhance it, we also recommend doing the following to kickstart your learning journey:
- Start by assessing your AI literacy level and establishing what you need to learn first before developing strategies for teaching students
- Once you understand what you need to learn, you can develop a plan for integrating AI into your lesson plans
- You don’t need to feel overwhelmed by rehauling your entire teaching approach. Start small, integrating one literacy activity into your curriculum every week.
- You don’t need to do it all alone, either. Engage with other educators, join education AI communities when you need assistance, and learn even more!
Learn more about how to implement AI in education
If you’re interested in learning how to incorporate AI into learning processes effectively, register for SACAP Global’s AI in Education: Ethics and Innovation short course.
This online course will equip you to employ AI thoughtfully and strategically in your teaching practice and give you practical skills in prompt engineering and AI-powered lesson design. You’ll also learn how to evaluate AI-generated content and use AI responsibly in your teaching practice.
With these skills, you’ll be well-placed to prepare tomorrow’s leaders and future-proof your educational career in an ever-changing world!
